Whakatūturutanga whai painga

Verifications or letters of good standing

Verification letters, or letters of good standing, allow regulatory authorities to share information regarding the professional standing of a nurse. These are shared only between regulatory authorities. They must be requested through your MyNC account.

Details of your 'professional standing' include your:

  • registration date
  • qualifications leading to registration, and the date achieved
  • current Annual Practising Certificate (APC) status
  • any conditions on your APC
  • any fitness to practise issues, for example, competence, health, or conduct.

Verification letters are valid for a fixed period of time, after which point you may be asked to provide another.

1) New Zealand registered nurses who wish to register or practise overseas

When a nurse requires the Nursing Council to send a verification letter to another regulatory authority:

  • You must log on to MyNC to request a verification letter.
  • You will need to complete the request form, including details of the authority the verification letter is being sent to.
  • There is a fee of $70 which can be paid by credit card (Visa or MasterCard).
  • You'll receive an email confirming your verification letter has been completed and processed. This can be tracked through your MyNC account on the 'Interactions' tab.
  • The verification letter is sent directly to the regulatory body named in the request.

Note: The Council no longer completes verification templates from other regulatory authorities. We use our own form which is completed and sent via email.

2) New Zealand registered nurses practising overseas looking to return to New Zealand and apply for an Annual Practising Certificate (APC)

When you want to return to practice in New Zealand, you will need to complete an application for an APC. You may need to contact us to open this application for you.

In the past, we would have requested a verification letter from the most recent regulatory authority you practised under. We have now changed our process and will ask you some questions for you to declare about your practice overseas, but are no longer requiring verification letters upon returning to practice in New Zealand.

For more information, please email [email protected].